Perhaps you’ve heard of The Crewel Work Company? If you haven’t, but you are interested in crewel embroidery, you must (must) become familiar with Phillipa Turnbull’s website. She offers glorious crewel embroidery kits, in the tradition of historical crewel work – they are timeless, they are lovely, they are… *sigh* … covetable! And she offers them in different stitching levels, from Level 1 for beginners (whom she calls “the terrified”!), Level 2 for beginners and stitchers with some experience, and Level 3, for those with some experience in embroidery who like a challenge.
One of Phillipa’s newer kits – the Mellerstain Parrots – is the subject of today’s give-away, with thanks to The Crewel Work Company.
The Mellerstain Parrots come from a larger design that Phillipa offers on her website as well – the Mellerstain Firescreen. The firescreen is based on a 19th century design from Mellerstain House in Scotland, and the Parrots (pictured above) are a little excerpt of that larger design.
The lovely little birds, stitched in wool and surrounded by autumnal foliage and acorns, peer over their shoulders, tentatively checking the other one out.
They are undoubtedly making eyes at each other! The Red Parrot is completely mesmerized by the beauty of the Blue Parrot … and the Blue Parrot? She’s a little worried! But you know how it’s going to turn out – after all, they’re stuck in a tree!
Some of the stitches included in the piece: long and short stitch shading, satin stitch, fly stitch, French knots, stem stitch – lots of nice variety that makes crewel embroidery fun!
The acorns, by the way, are gorgeous, and perfect for the approaching turn of seasons.
The kit includes 25 full skeins of Appleton wool, Jacobean linen twill woven exclusively for The Crewel Company (the design is already printed on it), needles, stitch & color chart, color images on CD, and thorough instructions. It also includes the booklet “The Essential Guide for Newcomers to Crewel Work,” and two beads. It’s a £79 value – and today, you have a chance to win your very own!
Crewel Kit Give-Away
If you’d like to participate in today’s give-away, please do the following (yep, I’m going to make you work for it!):
1. Leave a comment below, on today’s article, on the website. If you’re unsure of where to leave your comment, please just follow this link. It will take you right to the comment area! Comments via e-mail or left on other articles on the website are not eligible.
2. In your comment, you must answer the following question. Comments that don’t answer the question are not eligible. (I’m getting mean in my old age, am I not?)
What’s your favorite crewel kit on Phillipa’s website and why? She offers three different kit levels, and here are direct links to those sections on her site:
Level 1 Crewel Kits
Level 2 Crewel Kits
Level 3 Crewel Kits
I know it’s a hard question to answer! I tried – and ended up with five! (Or was it six?)
Well, do your best!
3. Since you have to do homework for this one, you have plenty of time to sign up for the give-away – it ends next Monday morning, September 10th, at 5:00 am Central Time (Kansas, USA). So please make sure to leave your comment by then! The winner’s name will be drawn from the eligible comments on Monday morning and the winner will be announced here on Needle ‘n Thread, at which point the winner must drop me a line with mailing info.
That’s it!
The Mellerstain Parrots kit is on special during September, by the way. It’s normally £79, but for the month of September, the kit is offered for £69. So if you don’t win the give-away on Monday, at least you can get a good break on the kit!
Can’t wait to read your comments! (That’s why I do this, you know – it’s always fun to read the comments!) Good luck!
